Chapter 1
“Mr. Sherbrooke, we’ll be landing in a moment.”
About time something went right today. Gray Sherbrooke glanced up from his magazine. “Thank you, Becky.”
His personal flight attendant smiled and walked away, once again leaving Gray alone with his thoughts. Opening his briefcase, he tossed the magazine inside and wished he could toss his guilt inside, too.
Arriving in town mere hours before his brother’s wedding hadn’t been the plan. No, he’d intended to arrive in Rhode Island two weeks ago for the bachelor party. Then, he’d assumed he’d visit with his family and indulge himself with some of Mathieu’s, his father’s chef, meals until the wedding. Maybe while there, he’d drive out to Connecticut and meet the newest member of the Sherbrooke clan. His cousin Callie’s son had been born that September, but he’d yet to see the baby, although he had spoken with Callie and her husband right after James was born.
Unfortunately, as often happened these days, his personal wants had gone on the back burner. In fact, in the past year, work had forced him to miss not only his brother’s bachelor party, but also his cousin Sara’s engagement party, the family’s annual New Year’s Eve bash in Newport, and Christmas. He missed Thanksgiving, too, but the flu caused that.
Work, however, had kept him from meeting Trent’s fiancée, the woman his brother was marrying in a matter of hours.
The plane’s wheels hit the runway with a thud, and Gray grabbed his tuxedo jacket and wool overcoat. He’d changed into the tux during the flight to save time. Even so, he was fully expecting the classic expression of disappointment his father had perfected over the years when he arrived at Trent’s apartment, the one Dad pulled out whenever one of his five children did something he didn’t approve of. Growing up, Trent had received that look the most. However, as of late, both he and Derek had received their fair share. Somehow, Alec and Allison escaped it most of the time.
Gray waited near the plane’s exit as it rolled to a stop. He took a step forward, prepared to open the door, but Becky beat him to it. A blast of cold air hit him head on, and he pulled on his overcoat, wishing his brother had picked June instead of January for his wedding.
“The weather channel said an artic cold front moved into the area. Looks like they got that right.” Becky took a step away from the door.
“Looks like it.” Gray glanced outside. Snow from a recent storm remained on the ground, and icicles hung from the airport’s roof. Had it only been that morning he’d left his hotel under a sun filled sky while people in shorts walked by? Mexico wasn’t one of his favorite places, but he’d take its weather over this any day.
“If my plans change, I’ll let you know, but otherwise, I’ll fly home on Friday.” He had no pressing matters at work, so he hoped to squeeze in a short visit with his family before returning to New York.
Becky took another step away from the door as a gust of wind whipped around him. “Enjoy the wedding.”
He planned to. He also planned to enjoy his visit with his dad and Abby, his stepmother, in Barrington. Perhaps if he was lucky, Mathieu would prepare some of his favorite dishes while he visited. The long-time chef, who, in many ways, was a part of the family, made sure each member got their favorite meals when home. He’d started the habit when Trent had first left for boarding school, and it continued to this day.
Gray pulled up his collar. The car he’d arranged to pick him up sat idling, the driver standing near the back door. So far today, he was two-for-two. He hoped his luck held, and he didn’t hit any traffic into Providence.
Even before Gray reached the car, the driver opened the back passenger door.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Sherbrooke. As soon as I get your luggage, we’ll be on our way.”
“I only have one suitcase today.” Gray ducked into the car, grateful for the heat blasting inside.
On a good day, and perhaps any other day except his brother’s wedding day, the trip from the airport in Warwick to his brother’s penthouse took ten minutes. Of course, since he’d already had a few things go his way today, a short trip to the city was too much to ask for.
They got as far as the exit for the zoo before coming to a halt. In the distance, he heard sirens, and within moments, a police cruiser sped by, followed by an ambulance and a fire truck. Several moments later, two more ambulances and another State Police cruiser passed by.
The driver glanced back at him. “It looks like a bad accident. I don’t think we’ll be moving again for some time.”
Gray pulled out his cell phone. What were the chances his brother or father had their phones turned on? At this point, all he could do was try everyone until someone answered—though, a phone call wouldn’t do anything if he missed the wedding. On the up side, if he did arrive late, it wouldn’t shock his family. He hadn’t been Mr. Reliable the past few years when it came to the family.
Twenty minutes later, Gray walked into The Hillcrest and passed through the lobby, stopping at the security desk. He’d only visited the place once before, but the security guard took one look at him and punched in the code for Trent’s private elevator. There were some upsides to sharing such a strong family resemblance.
Once off the elevator, Gray knocked on his brother’s apartment door and waited.
“Look who decided to show up.” His younger brother, Derek, opened the door, shaking his head. “Looks like you two won that bet.”
“Nice to see you, too.” Gray stepped around his brother into the apartment. Even without asking, he had a good idea of what they’d been betting on.
The fact that his own brother didn’t have enough confidence in him to know he’d never miss Trent’s wedding stung almost as much as the fact that Trent had asked their cousin, Jake, to be his best man. When Trent had dropped the news, it hadn’t shocked him. Trent and Jake had been close all their lives. They were only months apart in age and acted more like brothers than mere cousins. Still, a tiny part of Gray resented the fact that his older brother had chosen Jake over him. If he stayed honest with himself, however, he had to admit that Jake was a better choice.
“Derek, I told you and Alec not to bet against Jake and me.” Trent walked over and slugged Gray in the arm.
Derek shrugged. “You both got lucky.”
“I can’t belie
ve the four of you were betting on whether or not I’d show today.”
“Nay, we took bets on whether you’d get here in time for the ceremony. Alec and Derek figured I’d have to call Curt to ask him to take your place.” Trent handed him a drink. “I knew you’d get here.”
A fantastic insult sat on Gray’s tongue, but he held it back. If just his brothers and cousin were there, he would have let it fly, but their father was there as well a man he assumed was Addison’s brother, and a photographer, too.
“So who was it this time? A pretty blonde beach babe or that bikini model you were seen with last month?” Derek asked with a knowing wink.
Gray took a sip from his drink and resisted the urge to wipe the smile from his brother’s face. Something else he couldn’t do with his father in the room. If his brothers and cousin knew what he’d been doing a few hours before, they wouldn’t have joked, but he had to keep that part of his life private, even from his family.
“I was in Mexico for work, not pleasure.”
“Since when don’t you mix the two? It’s amazing how Sherbrooke Enterprises needs you to go to all the exotic locations in the world.”
Most days, Derek’s comments rolled off his back. Derek excelled at giving him a hard time. He always had. Today, his brother’s comments sent his already foul mood farther south.
“I told them all you’d be here.” Gray’s dad gave him a hug and a thump on the back. “I hope you plan to visit for a little while.”
Gray chose to ignore Derek and his comments. “At least for a few days.”
His father stepped away. “Good. Abby will be pleased.